Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Tessa is a romance author who has writer's block after being cheated on by her ex Joe. They were due to go to Paris on a short vacation in February so now she is going on her own, after a bit of pushing and shoving from best friend Carly.

However, the apartment with a gorgeous view onto the Eiffel Tower is not empty - Joe's best friend Ethan has been given the use by him without Joe thinking of informing Tessa. As the whole of Paris seems to be booked out solid, the two of them try to share the impossibly pretty but bijou one-bed property. Ethan is doing a cookery course and showing Tessa around Paris, who slowly starts getting inspired to write again.

I was really enjoying the book, I liked the characters, the scenery and the story, they were watching Ratatouille together and it was cute and then, two thirds in, Tessa does something so ludicrously stupid that the book went from 4 to 3 stars right there and then. My most hated trope came into play - miscommunication and misunderstandings. It's like drama has to be artificially created just in case there isn't enough plot.

I don't mind a romantic story being predictable but I've had enough of grown-up characters who have no self-confidence and don't think they're good enough for anyone. It's ridiculous. Also, Joe is a coercive controller and gaslighter and needs to be called out for that.

I'm sure a lot of readers will love this and also enjoy the spice, but it wasn't for me in the end, which is a shame because it started so well. However, I did like the cover which captured the setting well.